You're Brave and You're Loved
by crystal-gem-jessie
Summary: Shiro is gone, but the universe still needs defending. When Keith becomes the new Black Paladin, the team assumes Allura will replace Keith as the Red Paladin. It doesn't quite go like that and Lance has some insecurities to overcome. One-Shot.


**You're Brave and You're Loved**

"Alright, how are we doing this?" Keith asked, his face steely and controlled. Or, at least, it _tried_ to be controlled. His voice had the slightest of trembles and his eyes still looked distant with the loss of his close friend. Princess Allura, Coran, and the four Paladins circled up by the vacant Black Lion, whose stillness made her look as weary as the group felt.

They had all taken a turn to comfort Keith and he seemed better. They finally got him to agree that it was time to form Voltron without Shiro. It wasn't much, but it was a small step in the right direction. In truth, nobody wanted to move on with defending the universe. Not really. Nobody was particularly excited to map out an actual plan. Allura sighed.

"Who _could_ pilot the Black Lion?" she asked, more to herself than anyone.

"It's probably not a good idea for it to be someone we don't know really well," Pidge said.

"Yeah, I don't really fancy the idea of going through team-training at square one," Lance said, crossing his arms.

"Well, it might muddle things up a bit, but what if one of you became the Head of Voltron?" Coran asked.

The four paladins looked at Coran with wide eyes and then at each other.

"Coran, that's…not a bad idea," Allura said.

"I guess we'd trust the head a lot more if it was one of us since we already work well together," Hunk offered, insecure in his answer.

"Yeah, or it could totally throw _everything_ off," Pidge said and Lance had an inkling of what she meant. One of them getting promoted to head might cause some… _tension_. Lance noticed that Keith shifted uncomfortably as he listened to the conversation.

"Won't it throw everything off if we get a total outsider to lead us?" Lance asked. The question concerned them all.

"I think your dynamic will be compromised no matter what we do. The question is 'how can we compromise it _less_?'" Allura asked. Silence fell on them.

"Then, I think it should be one of us," Lance said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Keith agreed. Pidge nodded.

"I think so too," Hunk said.

"Okay, but _who_?" Pidge asked and it was the question they were all dancing around. Out of the four of them, who most deserved the captain's seat?

"Not it!" Hunk said, quickly. They all looked at him, "What? I don't want that kind of responsibility"

Lance felt himself get nervous. Normally, he would have volunteered on the spot. He loved the spotlight and he loved the idea of the potential glory that came from piloting the Black Lion. And yet…he couldn't bring himself to volunteer. A part of him knew he'd be turned down.

 _I think I know where this is going, anyway,_ he thought as he looked at Keith who continued to look uncomfortable, maybe even agitated, and lost in thought. The six of them let silence come over them again.

"I'll do it," Keith said and they all turned to face him, "Shiro told me before that if anything happened to him, he wanted me to lead Voltron. I'm not exactly sure what he was thinking, but if that's what Shiro wanted then I'll do it"

 _Yeah, that sounds about right_ , Lance thought. He wasn't surprised Shiro had said that to Keith, so he didn't try to dispute it. He wasn't surprised, but it still stung to be looked over once again in favor of Keith.

"Thank you, Keith, for volunteering. Is this alright with everyone?" Allura asked and Lance got the idea she was specifically hinting at him.

"Well, technically, it's the Black Lion's decision," Coran offered, "if she doesn't take to Keith we'll have to look elsewhere"

This much was true. They could have felt warm and fuzzy about Keith being their new leader all they wanted, but it wouldn't matter if the Black Lion wanted nothing to do with him.

"I've piloted her once before," Keith said.

"Whoa, dude, you have?" Hunk asked.

"Yeah, it was when we were all separated inside the wormhole. Red was down and Shiro was in trouble, so I just asked Black if I could pilot her for a bit, and she listened," Keith said.

"Then, go try it," Lance said and Keith looked at him. Lance matched his gaze, refusing to look away, "quit staring at me and convince Black to let you pilot her"

Keith afforded him a small smile, which Lance returned, and ran to the Black Lion's head.

The Black Lion was still lying unresponsive on the hangar floor, too weak to even put up her barrier. Allura, Coran, and the three other Paladins watched as Keith tentatively approached the large Lion and gently pressed a palm to her nose. Lance watched him take a deep breath in.

"Hey, Black. I know you've been through a lot recently, and that this all really stinks, but we have to be able to form Voltron. We need you. We've worked together before, so let's do it again," Keith said and the rest of the team watched in silence.

The tension was thick in the air as they all waited: silent and still.

"Come on…" Keith whispered to the lion.

The silence penetrated the air worse than if a siren had gone off.

Then, with explosive sound, the Black Lion powered on. Her eyes flashed in soft yellow and the various light tracks among her body glowed a bright blue. The humans and Alteans gasped.

"Keith, you did it!" Allura said, loud and excited.

The Black Lion lifted herself off the hangar floor. She adjusted her position to allow her jaw to open for her new Paladin. Keith turned around to look at his team. They looked back with congratulatory smiles and thumbs up. Then, Keith's eyes met Lance's. For some reason, Lance felt like he was asking permission.

Lance gave him a smirk and wink. This seemed to encourage Keith, as he smiled back and ran up the ramp to pilot _his_ Lion.

* * *

After the excitement that came with reanimating the Black Lion, the team decided to call it a night and think of a plan for the Red Lion's replacement in the morning. Keith couldn't help but wonder who they could get to pilot Red as he walked to his room.

Red, as Allura had put it, was "temperamental" and "unstable", but she was also fiercely loyal. Keith worried she would be uninterested in any one other than Keith to pilot her. Their bond was so strong that she had saved him across great distances through space, and today, he kind of threw that bond out the window.

Keith, now in his room, began getting ready for bed. He changed his clothes and brushed his teeth, then threw himself on his bed. He tucked his hands underneath his head, his elbows splayed at either side and sighed.

 _Who_ could pilot Red? The question plagued him and kept him from sleep. The only two people who even could without them making a cosmos-wide search would be Coran and Allura, but both had equally important jobs in piloting the castle.

Still, Allura as a paladin oddly stuck in his mind. Something felt… _right_ about it. Then, he imagined Allura with Red and the "right" feeling crumbled. That didn't quite fit.

 _Heh, yeah, and I'm piloting Black, the pilot who's supposed to be 'in control at all times',_ Keith thought, realizing he didn't quite fit his new Lion either. Considering his own circumstance, perhaps Allura piloting Red wasn't such an outlandish idea.

Keith's mind seemed to be happy with this small progress on the problem and finally allowed him to drift to sleep.

* * *

The next day, the team assembled at the command deck. The mood, while significantly less glum than the previous day, was still heavy and Lance realized with a pang in his chest that grief hadn't left them yet. Shiro's disappearance weighed heavy on them all like the paladin armor they wore and Lance could see it on everyone's face.

"So, has anyone thought of any solutions regarding the Red Lion?" Allura asked.

"I did," Pidge chimed, "You guys, what if Allura piloted the Red Lion?"

Lance felt his eyebrows raise. He had the same thought the night before.

"That's what I was thinking!" Hunk said.

"Yeah, me too" Keith agreed.

"Same here," Lance said.

Allura's eyes widened in surprise.

"The thought also crossed my mind…" she said. Coran sighed.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I also thought about this option, but Princess, I need your help navigating the ship," Coran said, worry coming over his face. Lance understood. He wouldn't exactly want his niece or nephew to pilot a big, lion-shaped war machine either. Regardless, Allura was no stranger to danger.

"But Coran, I often have nothing to do when the paladins are on missions," Allura said.

"Yes, but we often fight _beside_ Voltron. What if we need to make a quick escape, but you can't get inside fast enough to open a wormhole?" Coran asked.

"He…has a point," Hunk conceded.

"Well, perhaps we consider that more carefully before we go into battle?" Allura asked.

"Yeah, we could practice an escape plan so that we get Allura back inside the castle as soon as possible. It's not ideal, but we could make it work" Keith said. Coran wasn't convinced.

"Princess, the strain of using your energy to open worm holes _and_ be a Paladin of Voltron…it could kill you," Coran said and his words cast a quietness among them all.

"Coran, I understand your concern, but the fact of it is—we lost a team member. Things are harder now and there's no ideal situation here. The best thing for us to do is to find Shiro as quickly as possible so that we're not stretched thin. That's not going to happen immediately, so in the meantime, we _have_ to be able to form Voltron," Keith said. The speech did little to change the concern in Coran's eyes.

"Allura being a paladin is probably the safest option seeing as she's already a part of the team and the shift in our dynamic will be less dramatic than if we got an outsider to pilot Red," Pidge said.

"Plus, I don't think it's a coincidence we _all_ had the same idea," Lance offered.

"Yeah, and isn't the Princess, like, already connected to the Lions?" Hunk asked.

"That's true…" Coran said.

"Allura, what do _you_ want to do?" Keith asked and they all turned their attention to the Princess, who had been largely silent for the whole conversation. Her eyes were downcast, lost in deep thought.

"I…" she started, then turned to Coran, "Thank you for worrying about me Coran, but I believe I _must_ do this"

Coran took her in for a beat and then sighed.

"You really are your father's daughter," he said, a small smile bumping up against his mustache. Allura smiled back at him and gave him a warm hug.

"Thank you," she said, breaking from the hug. She turned back to the rest of the team with a determined look in her eye, "If you'll excuse me, I have a Lion to bond with"

Coran and the four Paladins watched her leave towards the Red Lion hangar with smiles on their faces and pride in their chests.

* * *

An hour went by and Allura hadn't resurfaced. With each passing minute, Lance could feel the rest of the group grow more and more anxious.

"Sooo…you think it's not going well?" Hunk asked.

"Red can be a little…difficult," Keith said, also looking impatient.

"The Paladin doesn't fall from the Lion," Lance said with a smirk and Keith glared at him.

"But what if Red never takes to her?" Pidge asked.

"She will, Pidge," Keith said.

"But what if she _doesn't_? Allura said the first day we got our Lions that the bond between a Lion and their paladin can't be forced. What do we do if Allura can't bond with Red?" Pidge inquired again.

"Look, it's only been an hour. Red's the hardest to master, remember? Red didn't let me in right away either. We just need to be patient," Keith said.

"Mm, #5 has a point. I don't think even Red has been this indecisive before," Coran added. Keith sighed.

"Look, guys, I'll go check on them, okay? Maybe she just needs a few hints for dealing with Red," Keith said. He got out of his seat and headed out the Command Deck's doors.

When he left, the rest of them sighed.

"Now, what?" Hunk asked.

"Well, the Cryo-Pods haven't been cleaned in a while!" Coran chimed. The three Paladins groaned.

* * *

Another hour and a dozen cleaned Cryo-Pods later, Keith and Allura still had not emerged from the Red Lion's hangar.

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous. Let's just get down there and see what's happening," Lance said, bored and frustrated.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Hunk said, his stomach grumbling, "also, uh, is lunch time soon? I'm hungry"

* * *

When they reached the hangar, they found Keith and Allura looking up at the sitting Red Lion, her red barrier still intact. They both turned as the rest of the team entered the hangar. Both looked troubled and a little embarrassed.

"No luck, huh?" Lance asked.

"I'm afraid not," Allura said.

"Red's not letting me in either," Keith admitted.

"Whoa, wait. What?!" Hunk asked.

"It's like our connection is…I don't know, not _gone_ , but really, really distant," Keith said.

"Yeah, Red isn't your Lion anymore. Black is," Pidge said.

"I know, but…" Keith said, his words trailing off. Lance assumed the broken connection between Keith and Red was an unexpected blow to him.

"Perhaps we were wrong about me being a Paladin of Voltron," Allura said and it looked like it pained her to say it.

"No, I _know_ you're supposed to be a Paladin, Princess. Now, more than ever. I just don't know why Red is being like this," Keith said, looking back at his former Lion.

"There is only one reason she would be, Keith. I am not meant to pilot the Red Lion. I'm afraid it is that simple. We'll have to consider alternatives," Allura said and her eyes were so sad, Lance felt his chest tighten. It was then that he realized—Allura really _wanted_ this. She had dashed here to bond with the Red Lion in such haste because she was _excited_. And Red was crushing her dreams.

It pissed Lance off. He marched towards the large, robotic cat.

"Hey, Red! What's your deal? Are you really too good for an Altean _Princess_?" He asked, approaching the red barrier.

"Lance—" Allura started.

"I mean, _as_ _if_ you could do better," Lance said. He knocked on the barrier with rapid jabs of his fist, "stop being such a brat!"

Then, many things happened at once. The Red Lion's barrier came down and Lance felt a ringing in his ears, followed by various visions being fed into his brain. He heard his teammates gasp as they all saw Keith piloting the Black Lion, Pidge in the Green, Hunk in the Yellow, then, oddly, they saw Allura, a vision in pink, in the Blue Lion. Then, as a finale, they saw Lance maneuvering Red with vigor and a smile.

The vision ended and Lance stared wide-eyed up at the Red Lion, who was now bringing her head down to allow Lance entrance. He took two shaky steps backward from her. He heard one of his teammates gasp again.

"Lance!" said Allura.

"It's _you_!" Keith croaked.

" _Of course,_ it all makes sense!" celebrated Pidge.

But it didn't. Not a single thing about this made sense. Lance was the Blue Paladin. He wasn't Red's pilot. He wasn't. He just wasn't.

"Lance? Buddy?" Hunk asked and Lance could feel Hunk approaching him. Lance still hadn't turned to face his teammates and he didn't think he could face them. He was too overwhelmed, too _panicked_.

"I—I'm sorry. I gotta—I need to think," he said and darted out of the hangar, his teammates calling out for him as he ran.

* * *

The rest of the team stared at the doors that Lance had disappeared through, all of them confused. Well, most of them. Hunk had some theories as to what had spooked Lance so badly. Lance didn't show this side of him often, but Hunk was his best friend and Hunk made it a priority to understand his best friends.

The rest of team did not seem to have the same understanding of the (former?) Blue Paladin.

" _What_ is his problem? This solves _everything_! I'm gonna go talk to him," Keith said and Hunk put a large hand on Keith's shoulder, stopping Keith in his tracks.

"Whoa, dude. I definitely think we should give him some space," Hunk said and Keith glared at him.

"Why? What is there even to be upset about?" Keith asked.

"Paladins? Sorry to interrupt, but what just happened? I'm feeling a _bit_ out of the loop," Coran asked. He was the only one who had not seen the Red Lion's vision.

"The Red Lion chose Lance as his Paladin and sent us a vision of me piloting the Blue Lion," Allura explained.

"So, is Lance upset because he doesn't want to leave Blue?" Pidge asked, just as confused as the rest of them.

"That's not…entirely wrong," Hunk sighed, "Okay, I'm gonna tell you guys some stuff, but it stays between us because I don't think Lance would appreciate me telling you this, but this is important and we're a team and-"

"Hunk!" Keith said, irritated.

"Right, yeah. Sorry. Okay. So, Keith do you remember how you were in the same flight class as Lance at the Garrison?" Hunk asked.

"Not really"

"Well, you _were_ , then when you were put in classes, Lance _just_ missed being in Fighter Class and was put in Cargo. He was…kinda devastated. Then, you got kicked out, and they bumped Lance up to Fighter Class, but Iverson never let him forget that he was a replacement and that he only got his spot because of luck. He joked it off, but it really bothered him…" Hunk said, trailing off.

"Ooooh," Pidge said and Hunk was grateful at least _someone_ was getting it.

"When Blue chose him when we found her on Earth, he was like, really proud of himself. It was like, something he achieved all on his own, y'know?"

"So? Obviously Red chose him and he did that on his own too, so what's the problem?" Keith asked. Hunk let out an exasperated sigh.

"Dude, you left Red to _lead Voltron_ and then Lance just got bumped up to take _your_ spot," Hunk said.

"Oh, Lance…" Allura said, her voice soft and sympathetic. Hunk noted that Keith had started looking uncomfortable.

"Then, what? He doesn't like feeling like my replacement or something?" Keith asked, the bite taken out of his tone.

"Would you like feeling like a replacement?" Pidge asked, her face guilt-ridden.

This question silenced them all. Lance always put on airs that he was a confident person, but Hunk knew that was a very surface-level interpretation of Lance.

"Look, he'll come around. Just let him process, okay? He also, like, really loves Blue and he's probably sad he can't pilot her now," Hunk said.

"Yes, thank you, Hunk. I believe this… _transition_ has taken its toll on all of us. Let us continue to be a support to Lance and each other while we adjust," Allura said with an encouraging smile. The rest of them said their agreements.

Hunk's stomach grumbled.

"Can we please get lunch now?"

* * *

After lunch, the team had separated off on their own. Keith headed to the training simulator, Hunk joined Pidge in working on improvements for her Lion, and Coran was doing some maintenance for the castle. Allura restlessly paced in her chambers.

She had nothing of importance to do, _except_ for the one thing she couldn't. She longed to see the Blue Lion and bond with her but felt that it would be tactless to do so while Lance was dealing with the weight of switching Lions.

Lance and the Blue Lion weighed heavy on her mind since Hunk offered his insights. She had never seen Lance as insecure person before, but as her mind recounted past interactions, she realized the signs were there. What if every compliment he gave himself, every declaration of a job well done was just a cry for validation? A request to dispute the contrary?

Had she ever praised Lance? She had praised the entire team, but had she ever specifically told Lance that he had done well? She combed her memory, but couldn't find an example. He was always giving himself compliments that it never crossed her mind to agree with him. She remembered something her father once told her.

 _"Even the steadiest of soldiers need an encouraging word from their leader, Allura, never forget that. Point out their shortcomings, but don't forget to let them know that their sacrifice is appreciated,"_ her father had said.

Allura sighed. She hadn't quite done that, had she? If she was honest, she was always more vocal about what the Paladins needed to _fix_ instead of what they didn't. Lance, who consistently annoyed her with romantic advances and inflated boasting, was the one who might have needed kind words from her the most. She couldn't blame herself too terribly, however. Lance frequently goofed around and flirted without consideration, so her lack of commendation was valid.

Still, Lance was a vital part of the team and his contributions were uniquely his own. He should know that, especially if it would help ease his transition to the Red Lion. She took a sharp inhale and made a decision. She needed to speak with Lance.

* * *

Lance had retreated to his room after the incident with the Red Lion and found refuge in his bed for several hours. He thought of retreating to Blue's cockpit to clear his mind but realized that Blue probably wouldn't open up for him now. He didn't think he could handle seeing Blue with her barrier up around her, so he thought his room would be his safest haven. Looking back, his sudden escape from the red hangar seemed so juvenile. He pressed his palms to his eyes and groaned. What must they all think of him?

Why had he reacted so violently? He couldn't explain it. He just couldn't stand to be in that hangar with everyone excited that they had finally solved the Lion problem when he felt so _expendable_. He felt like a movable piece of the Voltron puzzle, rather than a vital part of the team. He felt like a _body_ —not quite qualified to be a Paladin of Voltron, but what the team had to work with. Wasn't the only reason he was a Paladin at all because of dumb luck? Was he, _Lance_ , really needed? Or could it have been anyone? He thought that he and Blue had the strongest of connections, that he was _meant_ for Blue. Red allowing him in had destroyed that concept.

Then, a horrible thought entered his mind. What if Shiro came back to them and took his place as the Black Paladin again? Surely, Keith would go back to the Red Lion, and Lance? Would he go back to Blue? What if Blue _rejected_ him when he tried to come back to her? What if Allura was meant to be the Blue Paladin all along and he was just the placeholder? A horrible spasm of panic went through him. He didn't think he could handle that.

This led to more negative thoughts. He remembered how he had told the Yupper that he might just be the 7th wheel to the team, but he had felt much better when Shiro acknowledged him as "our Sharpshooter".

But Shiro was gone. He left Keith in charge, because Keith was…well, _Keith_. Lance felt a surge of annoyance, but a wave of melancholy pushed it away. Lance knew his little "rivalry" with Keith was just to make himself feel less inferior to the Red Paladin, but it never quite worked. Not really. There wasn't actually any debate on who was the more skilled of the two. Lance wondered if he would ever stop feeling so small compared to him.

He sighed. His self-loathing wasn't helping anybody, but he felt the sting of it acutely. He tried to find the positives to the Lion switch, but they all felt half-hearted and empty.

Lance sat up and shook his head. He needed to stop feeling down on himself. He needed to bond with the Red Lion so that they could form Voltron and defend the universe. His insecurities were trivial compared to the safety of billions of planets. He just had to get over it. It would be okay. He'd be okay.

Still, his body felt tired and useless. He didn't think he could bring himself to do anything in his current state.

 _You gotta try_ , he told himself. He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

Then, he heard a tentative knock on his door. He figured Hunk was checking in on him.

"Come in," he called. His bedroom door slid open and Lance was surprised to find Princess Allura, and not his giant best friend, behind it.

"Princess?" he asked, confused, but then quickly slipped into flirt mode, "well, hel-lo-o-o, did you finally realize your undying love for-"

"Lance, please. I came because I would like us to talk openly and seriously…as equals," she said and Lance noted a certain kindness to her tone that he was unfamiliar with. It made him feel guilty.

"Oh, yeah, um, sorry Allura. What can I do for ya?" he asked.

"I was hoping," she said, gesturing to the hallway outside of his door, "that you'd accompany me for a walk around the castle?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. That sounds…nice," Lance said, getting off of his bed and following Allura out the door.

* * *

The halls of the castle were usually very quiet as it was so largely uninhabited. Lance wondered in passing if it used to be a bustling place with Alteans coming-and-going constantly. If it was, it was a ghost of those times now.

Still, Lance appreciated the silence it afforded them now as he walked conversation-less with Allura. Lance looked for words to say, but he found none. Eventually, Allura did.

"Lance, are you alright?" she asked, tentatively. Lance could tell she wasn't sure if that was the right question to ask, so he tried to put her mind at ease.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for worrying about me. Sorry I kind of freaked out back there. It…kind of shocked me," Lance admitted. Allura nodded.

"Can you explain it to me?" she asked. Lance brought a hand up to cup the back of his neck.

"It's hard to explain. I guess I just thought it was me and Blue until the end, y'know? I thought that was my place and now I feel like we weren't as connected as I thought we were," Lance said, embarrassed.

"I see. That's quite difficult," Allura said.

"Naw, no biggie. I was just having a mini existential crisis. It's fine," he replied.

"You know, the Blue Lion has always been my favorite, ever since I was a child," Allura said with a small, fond smile. Lance couldn't help but smile with her.

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

"It was my father's Lion," Allura said. Lance stopped in his tracks. Allura stopped as well.

"Your _father_ was the Blue Paladin?" Lance asked. Allura looked away and smiled sadly, her eyes lost in a far-off memory.

"Yes, he sometimes took me on rides with her and I would communicate with her through my father. He would tell me the images she sent to him and they were always so kind and affectionate," Allura said, her eyes now glossing over. Lance now believed his theory was correct. Allura was meant for the Blue Lion all along. He was just the delivery boy, but it was okay, especially if Blue could give Allura happy memories of her father. He could make that sacrifice. He smiled at her.

"I'm happy for you, Princess. It sounds like you and Blue were meant for each other. I think you'll work out great together," he said. Allura looked back at him, surprised.

"Lance, _no_. _You_ were meant for the Blue Lion. She _chose_ you. Please, Lance, don't think that the connection you had with the Blue Lion was somehow… _false_ because of your new connection with the Red Lion. When you all first came to this castle, Shiro explained to me how you all found the Blue Lion and she would never have come back here if it wasn't _specifically_ for you," Allura said, her speech passionate.

"What do you mean?" Lance asked, stunned by her words.

"Keith had explored the cave with the hieroglyphics many times before, correct? They had never activated before. They only did once _you_ touched them. _You_ were the key to revealing her. That wasn't a coincidence. The Blue Lion was waiting for you and you alone. Do you understand?" Allura asked. Lance scratched the back of his neck again. He felt a burden lift from his chest at her words.

"Yeah, I get it. Thanks, Allura. That really means a lot coming from you," Lance said and Allura smiled genuinely at him.

"You're welcome. I understand that this switching of Paladins and Lions is very disorienting, but it actually is quite fitting that the Blue Lion would be the one who would offer her Paladin to take the spot of a fallen comrade in order to introduce a new one," Allura said.

"Why?" Lance asked. Allura looked at him, confused, but then was suddenly struck by a realization.

"Oh! That's right, I never properly explained the traits of the Blue Lion and her Paladin when we first met. The Blue Lion is playful but well-rounded and adaptable. She requires a Paladin that is brave and flexible, someone who can support their teammate in various areas as the right leg of Voltron. I see these qualities in you, Lance and so does the rest of your team. Your contributions are _valued_. Please, don't forget that," Allura said. Lance felt hot tears sting his eyes and warm affection for Allura well in his chest. He quickly hugged her. Allura, surprised at first, returned it.

"Thanks, Allura," he said in a shaky voice. He separated from her, turned away. and quickly wiped his eyes.

"Hey, what do you say we pay a visit to our very special blue girl?" he asked with a spectacular grin. Allura beamed at him.

* * *

To Lance's surprise, Blue didn't take to Allura right away. Allura theorized that Blue was just as upset as Lance was about their separation and was still pouting. Eventually, after a little coaxing and reminiscing of King Alfor, Blue let down her barrier and warmly accepted Allura as her Paladin. Lance smiled as he left the hangar to let them bond in space together.

With a sigh, he started walking towards the red hangar. Keith had bonded with Black. Allura was bonding with Blue. Now, it was his turn. He hoped Red wasn't mad at him. In a way, he kind of rejected her. That didn't sit well with him and he figured the sooner he worked things out with Red, the better.

The hangar doors opened with a _**whoosh**_ and Lance was struck by the regal appearance of the Red Lion. She was significantly smaller than Blue, but she seemed more intimidating somehow. He still had a hard time wrapping his head around Red accepting _him_. It was never a scenario that crossed his mind. Red Lion had always been _Keith's_ Lion.

Lance was so focused on the Red Lion herself that he had failed to recognize that her former Paladin was leaning against a hangar wall with his arms crossed. When his eye finally spotted him, Lance jumped.

"Ah! Oh, crow, _Keith_! You scared the quiznak out of me," Lance said and Keith just smirked at him.

"Didn't mean to startle you," he said, approaching Lance.

"I somehow doubt that. What are you even doing here?" Lance asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," Keith said.

"So, you waited in Red's hangar?"

"I knew you'd come when Coran told me you and Allura were in the blue hangar," Keith said and Lance felt a blush creep up on his face. He didn't know why, but Keith waiting for him made his heart race.

 _Weird_ , he thought and forced himself to calm down.

"Did Allura and Blue hit it off?" Keith asked.

"Yup. Their thick as thieves, already," Lance said.

"Oh, that's…good," Keith said awkwardly.

"So, uh, is that what you wanted to ask me, or…?"

"Um, no. I wanted to talk about you. Us," Keith said. Lance blinked at him and felt his blush come back.

"What about us?" Lance asked.

"I've been thinking about this whole Lion shuffle _thing_ and I realized I'm nowhere near the leader Shiro was, not by a mile. The Black Lion's Paladin is supposed to be in control at all times and that's just… _not me_. I lose my head easily"

"Very true," Lance said and Keith glared at him.

"My point is—I need someone to keep me in check and you've always called me out on my recklessness before. I was thinking you should be, I don't know, like, my second-in-command or something," Keith said, his arms tightly crossed in front of him. Lance stared at him blankly. He hadn't expected this at all from Keith.

"Wait, you want me to be your second-in-command? Why?" Lance asked. Keith let out an exasperated sigh.

"I _just_ told you," Keith said. Lance gave him a devilish smirk.

"I'm not convinced," Lance said and Keith groaned. Lance briefly thought it was cute, but he batted that thought away quickly.

" _Fine_. As I said _before_ , you call me out on my recklessness. You also have good instincts about stuff and I don't know, you have good ideas or whatever. You're more aware of the team's condition than I a— _is that good enough, or do I need to stroke your ego even more?!_ " Keith asked and Lance felt a goofy grin form on his face.

"Wait, Keith, are you trying to tell me that you value my _opinion_?" Lance asked. Keith violently rolled his eyes.

" _Yes_ , whatever. Do you want to be my second-in-command or not because I'm about five seconds away from asking Pidge—"

"I want to! I want to!" Lance said, his grin still plastered on his face. Keith's sour face dissolved.

"Oh, cool," Keith said, looking away from Lance's stare. Lance put a hand on his shoulder and the action caused Keith to meet Lance's eyes again.

"Hey man, thanks. It means a lot to me that you'd ask," Lance said and Keith's face went red. Lance assumed gratitude embarrassed him so he took his hand off his shoulder.

"No problem"

"So, you think Red's mad I ran out on her earlier?" Lance asked.

"Not gonna lie, Lance—probably. She's super testy. You wounded her pride. She won't forget that easily," Keith said with a smirk. Lance put his hands on his hips and looked up at the Red Lion.

"Hey, Red?! I'll make it up to you, okay?! You're probably starved for a Paladin with an actual sense of humor, so I'll save all my best jokes for ya!" Lance hollered.

"Hey! I have a sense of humor!"

"Yeah, a bad one," Lance said with a smirk.

A low purr from the Red Lion put a stop to their banter. Keith chuckled.

"I think she wants attention," Keith said, amused.

"Well, if there's one thing I _can_ do, it's give a girl attention," Lance said and Keith rolled his eyes at him again.

"You got that right"

"So, any pointers for piloting Red?" Lance asked. Keith shook his head.

"Naw, just follow your instincts. I told you before, you have good ones," Keith said and gave Lance a genuine smile, which Lance returned.

"What do you say, Red? Wanna go for a spin?" Lance asked and the Red Lion let down her red barrier again. She brought her giant head down to allow Lance to board.

"Have fun," Keith said as Lance started up the ramp.

"You _know_ it," Lance said as he ran for the cock pit.

"Hey, Lance!" Keith shouted. Lance stopped at the top of the ramp to listen to what Keith had to say.

"What?!" Lance yelled back.

"I'm really glad you're the one who's piloting Red!" Keith yelled with a smile. Lance looked at him, surprised. He felt his cheeks warm and a smile grow on his lips.

"Me too!" he said and disappeared into Red's cockpit. Keith quickly ran out of the hangar with a small smile stuck on his face.

Lance quickly took a seat in Red's pilot chair and was quickly forced up to the control panel. Red roared to life and quickly sent images to Lance's head. It was a vision of him startled by her acceptance and his mad dash away from her. So, he _had_ angered her.

"Hey girl, sorry about that. I was just intimidated by your beauty and I worried I couldn't live up to your expectations," Lance said, his voice turning as silky as when he flirted with alien girls.

To his surprise, Red responded to this with a warm tickle in the back of his mind. If he didn't know better, he might have even said she was laughing. Then, she sent some ideas to his head where Keith was heavily featured.

"' _Save that kind talk for, Keith_?!' What are you even talking about?!" Lance asked, his face turning crimson. Red tickled the back of his mind with her strange laughter again and sent another message to him. This time, she showed him an endless piece of starry sky and Lance understood she was ready for some exercise.

"Alright, girl. It's bonding time," Lance said as he pressed the keys that opened the large hangar doors and watched as they slowly opened while Red eagerly hummed, anxious to leave.

When the hangar doors were open, Red bolted out like she was shot out of a cannon.

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!" Lance hollered as his new Lion raced around space, excited to show her new Paladin exactly what she could do.

—THE END—

* * *

 **AN:** Here's my contribution to Lance's birthday! I love him sm and I wanted to write a fic about his team members loving and appreciating him, even when he's feeling down. Lance is important and a valuable member of the team

I headcanon Lance as having high-functioning anxiety and depression just as an fyi.

I really, really want Lance to become better friends with Allura in s3. Their relationship right now is basically non-existent and I'm hoping the lion swap will let them bond. Hopefully, there are lots of Bonding Moments™ between Lance and Keith too ;)

The title is from "Turn Around" by The Postal Service, which is a beautiful song you absolutely should look up.

Thank you so much for reading and if you can, please let me know what you thought!

HAPPY LANCE DAY!


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